PH youth, women workers most affected during the pandemic – ADB
Most of the Filipinos who have lost their jobs during the height of the pandemic are the youth and women employees, according to a study by Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The report, entitled “A Crisis Like No Other — COVID-19 and Labor Markets in Southeast Asia,” said that the young population in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand accounted for 22 to 28% of total job losses in the second quarter of 2020.
ADB said this is due to “having less experience and being less likely to have permanent contract arrangements” with their companies.
At the same period, women accounted for 44% of the employment losses as a “consequence of their greater involvement” in childcare and supporting ill relatives.
In April 2020, the Philippines’ unemployment rate surged to a record 17.7% or 7.25 million unemployed Filipinos as the government implemented the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) nationwide.
The annual unemployment rate increased by 10.3% in 2020 compared to 2019’s 5.1%
ADB stated that Southeast Asian countries should create “comprehensive social protection systems” to temporarily fill the employment gaps during the pandemic.
